


and i fell heavy into your arms

by PetitAvocat



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Drabbles, M/M, smut!fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-04
Updated: 2013-08-11
Packaged: 2017-12-17 16:42:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 9,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/869725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PetitAvocat/pseuds/PetitAvocat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of mShenko smut drabbles, some longer and some shorter, originally posted on my <a href="veinsoflyrium.tumblr.com">tumblr</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"fuck  _me_ ," kaidan groans, wrists straining against the strips of fabric that hold him down to the bed.

"that’s the idea." shepard growls his words into the skin of kaidan’s thigh, following them with a rough lick of his tongue like a punctuation mark.

he gets an incoherent moan and a shiver for his trouble.

he has been teasing the major for almost an hour, pushing him close to the edge and pulling him back and playing his need like an instrument. making his body sing.

it’s everything shepard wants in life, right here spread out underneath him. when he slides himself deep into kaidan’s body and they gasp out together, shepard is sure that if there is any god, spirits, goddess, or maker above, this will be the last sound he hears before he dies. a final reminder that his life had more to it than pain and death.

he gets philosophical like this sometimes, losing himself in wonder over the exquisite lines of kaidan’s body and the beautiful furrow of agonized lust that creases his brow — for him, all for him. he moans helplessly and his hips snap faster, pushing them both closer to the edge, claiming  _mine_  with every thrust until kaidan’s body arches beneath him. he follows soon after, and collapses in a blissful cry.

_this_  is what he lives for, just this one moment where he forgets about everything else but the perfect fit - not easy, but  _perfect_  - of his life with kaidan’s.


	2. Chapter 2

shepard stands at his desk, hackett on vid-comm in front of him. he is the picture of alliance professionalism, dress blues on, hands clasped behind his back, and trying to stop his knees from shaking as kaidan, kneeling under the desk in front of him, mouths over the bulge in his trousers.

he coughs to cover his gasp.

hackett pauses. “you all right, shepard?"

"fine, sir. please continue." 

kaidan apparently takes this as his sign to  _continue_  as well, and silently unzips shepard’s pants, sliding a hand in, pulling out his hardening cock, and giving shepard a wicked glance (that he stalwartly tries to ignore) before sliding his mouth over the head.

shepard’s hips jerk forward minutely but he controls himself otherwise.

kaidan tongues over shepard’s length, taking his time, one hand working himself free to stroke in time with the movements of his head sliding up and down, sucking gently at the tip.

his mouth is hot and wet and shepard’s body knows him so well that it wants to respond the way it’s learned, hips rolling forward, feeling kaidan take him deep into his throat, fingers curling into kaidan’s hair — he shivers, hearing an echo of the particular moan kaidan makes when he tugs on his hair.

without warning kaidan pushes his head forward until his nose is brushing shepard’s stomach and shepard can feel himself hitting the back of kaidan’s throat, and he knows what’s coming before kaidan does it, and then — clenching, swallowing around his cock and in any other situation he would be a whimpering mess, head falling back, whole body shaking, but he holds himself as perfectly still as he can manage, swallowing the groan that threatens to tear from his throat.

his nails are digging gouges into his palms behind his back and he hopes hackett can’t see the sweat beading on his forehead.

kaidan pulls back and flicks his tongue at the sensitive spot just below the head of his cock and that’s  _almost_  it, pushing him right to the edge and holding him there and he has to breathe deeply through his nose and try desperately to focus on hackett’s words, because he can’t,  _can’t_  —

"shepard? commander, you don’t look well. perhaps we should resume this later."

they are the sweetest words he’s ever heard.

"thank you — " he clears his throat, voice hoarse and deep and rough, and he hopes it passes as illness. "— thank you, admiral, i’d appreciate that. i think i may have picked up something last time we were on the citadel."

he’s impressed with his own ability to form words, considering that kaidan has wrapped one hand around his cock and is pumping his length, sucking on the head, tongue doing  _delicious_  things to him, and he can see, almost out of his range of vision, that kaidan is unabashedly thrusting into his own fist, cock slick with pre-come. _  
_

he tunes back in just in time to hear hackett say, "— chakwas immediately."

"yes, sir, i certainly will," he replies, and hopes that makes sense. hackett disconnects the line, and shepard grabs kaidan’s hair, dragging him out from under the table and walking backwards, forcing him to keep his mouth on his cock. he sinks into his chair and kaidan braces his hands on shepard’s thighs, drops his head down and swallows around him again and that’s  _it_ , that’s all he can take, he chokes out a moan and his hips strain against kaidan’s hands, trying to arch up against his grip.

when he collapses back down into the chair, kaidan gently licks him clean and looks up with a wolfish grin. shepard returns it.

"i think you need payback for that."

"yes, sir," kaidan rasps out. he stands and starts backing towards the bed, slowly undoing his belt, still grinning.

shepard’s smile turns predatory.

"didn’t you have a conference call with the councilors,  _spectre_  alenko?"


	3. Chapter 3

the alarm goes off and shepard groans into his pillow, hand blindly flailing on the bedside table until through sheer luck he manages to silence it. he rolls over and smiles to himself - kaidan always was a heavier sleeper. the sheets have fallen down around his hips, framing the creases of his thighs and hinting at the bulge just below.

shepard smirks.  _good dreams, kaidan? i can give you something better to wake up to._

he ducks under the covers, settling himself between kaidan’s spread legs and leaving open-mouthed kisses along his thighs, moving slowly higher until his nose brushes the base of kaidan’s cock.

the man above him murmurs sleepily, but doesn’t stir much.

shepard takes his balls into his mouth, licking at them gently, sucking at the skin, and finally kaidan moans, hips arching up as he pushes the sheets back.

“ _shepard_."

"good morning, sleepyhead." shepard slides up a bit and rests his chin on kaidan’s stomach, innocently ignoring the hard length pressing against his chest.

"are you going to  _do_  something about that?" kaidan’s voice is hoarse with sleep and arousal, and shepard crawls the rest of the way up his body to kiss him, slow and deep, tongues sliding together as kaidan opens up beneath him.

they’re both breathless when they pull apart. “i was going to fuck you, major."

"oh  _fuck_  yes."

he grabs the lube from the side table and slicks up his fingers, mouth charting paths it already knows along kaidan’s jaw and neck as he slides a finger into the biotic, their dicks rubbing together as kaidan rolls his hips in time with shepard’s fingerfucking.

he’s mewling by the time shepard has three fingers in him, spreading him wide and needy. every breath is a plea, and finally shepard relents, spreading lube over his cock and holding himself just at kaidan’s entrance until he groans, “shepard,  _please_ ," and then driving forward and they both gasp and it’s just,  _fuck_ , it’s just so good -

he pulls out and slams forward again, setting a rhythm, watching hungrily as kaidan’s hand comes down to stroke himself and his whiskey eyes burn into shepard’s and they spiral higher and deeper into each other, finally crashing together in bliss and perfection, kaidan’s release roping onto his stomach, the look on his face ecstasy like shepard has never seen.

they collapse together, shepard kissing his neck, shoulder, wherever he can reach without moving too much.

kaidan makes a little murmuring protest. “mfh. do we have to get up?"

"nope. holiday."

“ _fuck_  yes." he shifts enough to roll them over, and curls his head into the nook of shepard’s chest and arm. they’re back asleep in minutes, and shepard thinks, as he’s drifting off, that they should do that more often.

like, for example, when they wake up again in a few hours.


	4. Chapter 4

shepard pushes the onions around the pan halfheartedly. he’s tired. he wants to lie down and go to sleep but kaidan isn’t due home for another two days and there’s very little immediately-edible food and if he can just stay on his feet for another twenty minutes he can have a curry that will last him until his husband gets back and can cook for him instead.

he sighs in frustration, and tries to will the onions to cook faster. he’s concentrating so hard on them, and on not burning them, that he doesn’t hear the door open and shut, the sound of a suitcase being set down, gentle footsteps approaching.

arms suddenly wrap around him and if it wasn’t for the warm, quiet  _hey_ breathed against his ear, kaidan might have gotten an omni-blade in the gut. but post-war has mellowed him out some.

"hey, yourself. home early." he turns and kisses kaidan. “want to take over with this?"

"i had another idea," kaidan murmurs, sliding his hand down to flick open shepard’s belt buckle.

"but… the onions…"

a sharp nip on shepard’s throat tells him kaidan does not care about the onions.

"i’ve been gone for two  _weeks_ , shepard. so long without you. all i want is to suck you off, is that so much to ask?"

shepard whimpers, and kaidan spins him and pushes him up against the counter, dropping to his knees fluidly and pulling shepard’s pants down. he leans forward and takes shepard into his mouth, sucking and tonguing along his length until he hardens fully and his thighs are shaking under kaidan’s hands.

shepard tangles his fingers in kaidan’s hair and tips his head back, moaning in time with kaidan’s slow, torturous licking.

as he lets himself be lost in the wet hot suction of kaidan’s mouth, he vaguely thinks he smells the onions burning.

ah well. that’s what delivery is for.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is an angst!fic more than a smut!fic, just to warn you! an indoctrinated m!shep was requested :3

kaidan knows.

he has seen the way shepard sometimes abruptly changes direction when he’s running through the citadel. the way he stops mid-conversation, as if he can hear something nobody else can. the way he prioritizes tiny, insignificant things -  _buying more fish, shepard? really?_  - over missions that could help the war effort.

he knows, and he reports it to hackett, who tells him what he’d hoped not to hear:  _stay close, major. it’s our best chance at catching him before he goes over the edge._

so he stays close. he kisses shepard, and fucks him, and  _loves_  him with desperation coloring his touches and sighs, heartbreak weaving into his need.

he tells shepard  _i love you_  as he’s buried inside him, shepard’s pupils blown wide with pleasure and his thighs wrapped around kaidan’s hips, his body so tight around kaidan’s cock, so perfect, and he whispers  _i love you too_  and kaidan looks into his eyes and sees clarity and wants to weep because he knows it won’t last.

he throws himself into shepard just the way he always has, completely and without regret, except now he knows that he’s the one who’ll have to pull the trigger.


	6. Chapter 6

kaidan slams him against the fishtank. a dozen brightly-colored fish dart away, but the jellyfish stays where it is, lazily bobbing along with no regard to the men rutting against each other just on the other side of the glass.

“ _days_ ," kaidan breathes against his mouth. " _days_  on omega with no communication and you come back and ask me  _how’s it going_."

"mmph. any improvement from horizon, do you think?"

kaidan pulls back enough to glare at shepard, but it’s hard not to chuckle at his contrite self-deprecating smile.

"not much, but you’ll get there."

shepard rocks his hips into kaidan’s and he abruptly remembers why they are against the fishtank. he captures shepard’s mouth with his again, tongue sliding against the commander’s lips as their fingers make quick work of each other’s uniforms.

kaidan reaches down to stroke shepard roughly. he groans, shoulders bracing against the fishtank, and kaidan  _pulls_  the bottle of lube from its place on their bedside table, slicking up his fingers, kicking shepard’s legs apart and sliding a finger into him.

he  _never_  gets over this feeling, shepard hot and tight around him, and he pumps his finger a few times before adding another, watching as shepard’s eyes squeeze shut and he furrows his eyebrows and whimpers, pushing down onto kaidan’s hand.

he waits for what he knows is coming, and when shepard gasps out, “kaidan,  _kaidan_ ," he pulls his fingers away and slicks his cock and lifts shepard up, sliding his arms under his thighs and pushing into him and  _groaning_ because  _god_  it always feels so good, and shepard’s fingers scrabble against the fishtank looking for purchase but kaidan doesn’t give him time. he pulls back and drives forward hard, tearing a gasp from shepard’s throat and making it his goal to hear that noise over and over until shepard’s voice is raw.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was written as a birthday gift!fic for [kaidanfuckingalenko](kaidanfuckingalenko.tumblr.com) on tumblr!

“So, uh… what do we do?”

Kaidan throws a glance at James over his shoulder.  “We wait, Lieutenant. This encryption is… pretty advanced.  We’ve got some time before the program cracks it.”

“Alright.  Any reason I can’t take a nap?”

Shepard snorts, his legs propped up on a disused desk.  “Go for it.  If you hear gunshots, wake up.”

“Sir, yes sir.”  He slouches low in his chair and closes his eyes. 

Kaidan has moved over to a darker corner of the room, fussing with something Shepard can’t see.  He turns and crooks a finger.  Shepard smirks, and crosses the room to join him.

“Yes, Major?”

The biotic hooks his arms around Shepard’s waist and pulls him in.  “It’s your birthday, Shepard.”

“…is it?”

“Don’t play coy.”  He flips them abruptly, pinning Shepard to the wall with a leg between his thighs.  “Or you won’t get your present.”

“My…  _really_ , Kaidan?”

“Really.”

“Here?”

“Oh yeah.”

Kaidan’s lips against his brook no arguments, tongue sliding along his lower lip and making him sigh with sudden  _want_.  His hips rock against Kaidan’s armored thigh, the ceramic plates clacking together quietly, and one of Kaidan’s hands drops from his neck, fingers trailing along his chest (and he _swears_  he can feel his fingertips on his skin, memory supplying the calluses and heat) until they reach his codpiece.

He breaks away from the kiss to stare at Kaidan in surprise.  They were  _really_ – ?

Kaidan just grins back, and there’s a click and small hiss as the codpiece releases.  Shepard chokes back a moan.  Kaidan’s fingertips stroke him through his undersuit and toy with the zipper as his lips trail along Shepard’s jaw, licking at the hollow beneath his ear.

“Happy birthday, Shepard,” he whispers, unzipping the undersuit and taking Shepard’s cock, hard and straining, in his gauntleted hand.

He strokes roughly and Shepard groans, hoarse and loud until he buries his face in Kaidan’s neck.  His hands come up to find something, anything to anchor himself to, one clutching at Kaidan’s shoulder and the other fisting in his hair as his hips thrust helplessly in time with the hand pumping his cock.

“Shh.  Don’t want to wake James, do you?”

He can only whimper, eyes screwed shut and teeth biting into Kaidan’s skin. He feels a small measure of triumph through his haze when Kaidan moans roughly,  _fuck_ , and his own hips jerk forward into Shepard’s, but the pace of his hand doesn’t slow, friction perfect and painful.

The head of his cock brushes against Kaidan’s cool, slick armor.  He gasps, shudders, and Kaidan jerks him faster.

“That’s right – let me hear you, let me see you come, Shepard, just like that – ”

Kaidan twists his wrist at the top of his upstroke and Shepard is destroyed.  He starts to cry out but Kaidan’s free hand slams over his mouth to muffle him, and he moans desperately, curling forward and convulsing with the force of his peak, cock throbbing in Kaidan’s hand.

He slumps back against the wall when he’s finished, Kaidan’s hands on his body holding him upright.  Vaguely, he feels himself being tucked away, hears the codpiece click back into place.  He blinks his eyes open in time to see Kaidan swipe at the come on his armor, getting rid of it well enough to be unnoticeable.

There’s a faint beep from the other side of the room.  James stirs.

“Loco?  Major?”

“Right there, Vega.”

Kaidan leans forward and kisses Shepard’s cheek sweetly.  He lingers for a moment, lips brushing his ear.

“You get the second part of your present when we’re back on the ship.”

With a wink, he’s gone, sauntering back across the room.


	8. a day in the life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr giveaway prize for [my-name-islegion](my-name-islegion.tumblr.com), who requested mshenko fluff!

Their alarm goes off at 6:15am, just the same as it always does.  Kaidan waits, and when Shepard doesn’t stir immediately, he rolls over to reach across his husband and switch it off.

Shepard blinks his eyes open at the movement.

“Hey, sleepyhead.”

“Mmf.”  He tries to roll over, but Kaidan stops him with a hand on his shoulder, pinning him to the mattress.  He looks up at the biotic pleadingly.  “Sleep?”

 _Blue eyes that intense should be outlawed_ , Kaidan thinks, not for the first time.  He leans down and kisses Shepard, gentle that quickly turns into more, Shepard tugging him over until he is straddling the other man’s hips and can feel him growing and hardening as they rock together.

He loves this.  Waking up next to Shepard.  Being able to reach over and touch him, thumb rasping along the stubble at his jaw, feeling a smile under his fingers before he can see it.  Months after the war’s end, the novelty of not needing to hide their relationship is still present, sharp and bright.

And mornings like this.  Desperation isn’t in their lovemaking anymore, not in the way it used to be, when they had to make every touch, every kiss say ten thousand  _I love you_ s.  Now their desperation comes from staying too long at a dignitaries’ reception – fingers teasing along thighs under the dinner table while ambassadors drone on, heated looks across a cocktail glass and the laughing helpless need, scrambling into the backseat of a well-tipped taxicab, to  _have_  each other simply because they can.

If the fingers skimming down his sides and sliding under the waistband of his boxers are any indication, Shepard is waking up, hips meeting his more enthusiastically.  The bed is warm and Shepard is hot and he can feel the cool air of the room on the back of his neck as Shepard’s fingers tease along his cleft and –

The alarm goes off again –  _goddamn still-in-bed sensors_  – and he groans, pulling away.

“But – ”  Shepard rolls to the edge of the bed, following Kaidan as he gets up, fingers still linked together.

“Council meeting.”

“Sex?”

He brushes his lips to the top of Shepard’s head, forcing himself to breathe steadily and ignore the heavy ache in his groin.  “You get some more sleep.  There’s another alarm set for a couple hours from now so you can make it to your PT in time.”

_And that pout?  Where did he even learn to **do**  that?_

Kaidan tries to disentangle his fingers, with only marginal success.  “Shepard, I really – ”

More quickly than he should be able to, given how sleepy he was just two minutes ago, Shepard lets go of his fingers and flips onto his back, hands hooking around the backs of Kaidan’s thighs to pull him flush against the bed.  “Just a quickie?  I can make it fast…”

“I…”  Shepard is mouthing against his cock, wicked smile on his face.  “… yeah, okay – oh,  _fuck_.”

Shepard tugs his boxers down and then his mouth is on him, hotter than his skin was under the covers, tongue working along his shaft until he reaches the head and sucks him between his lips.  Kaidan’s knees almost buckle when Shepard pulls his hips forward, taking him deep into his throat and swallowing until he can’t,  _can’t_ , and he leans over Shepard’s body, braces his hands on the mattress on either side of his hips and wraps his own lips around Shepard’s length.

He feels Shepard moan around his cock, vibrations sticking hard and hot in his belly, and he echoes it.  He props a knee on the bed and Shepard’s hands slide back to grip his ass.  His head is hanging upside-down over the edge of the bed, throat open and fuckable and Kaidan takes advantage, rolling his hips forward in the same rhythm that he bobs his head up and down, teeth scraping so lightly along the skin and tongue teasing at the ridge just below his head until the convulsive flexing of Shepard’s throat around his cock sends him gasping, hips stuttering, and he has to pull his mouth off of Shepard or risk choking.

He keeps his hand moving, stroking Shepard roughly and resting his forehead against his thigh, moaning into his skin as hot, tight tendrils start at the base of his cock and curl outward.  When Shepard cups his balls with one hand, rolling them gently in his palm and deepthroating him, he’s lost, biting Shepard’s thigh hard and feeling himself spurt his release, feeling Shepard swallow it and whimper around his length until he finishes.

Shepard sucks him gently a few more times, the aftershocks sparking tremors along his spine.  He rolls over onto the bed and pulls Shepard’s hips with him, lying next to each other on their sides, and he takes Shepard back into his mouth and smiles at the breathless groan he hears.  With his hand and mouth and tongue working together it’s not long before Shepard is unmade under him, body shuddering and hands, nails digging into his legs, forehead pressed hard against Kaidan’s belly as he pulses into Kaidan’s mouth.

They lie there together for a moment, fingertips gentling each other through their half-awake contentedness, bodies sinking into the mattress and minds slowly returning to themselves.

The alarm blares again, and Shepard curls into a ball in protest.  Kaidan bites his calf for good measure, and rolls out of bed.

Still clumsy and a bit shaky on his feet, he stumbles to the bathroom and takes a faster-than-Alliance-standard shower that manages to wake him up more fully.  He towels off and tugs his dress blues on, thanking the gods that he doesn’t have to decide what to wear today, and makes a pit stop in front of the mirror to slick back his hair, well-practiced hands repeating movements done almost every morning for years.  Their coffee machine, preset to start brewing at 6:30 every morning, dings cheerily, and he grabs his reusable mug, adds a dash of cream and a pinch of sugar, and darts back into the bedroom.

Shepard is, somehow, mostly asleep again, sprawled on his stomach.  Inevitably, when he’s sleeping alone he takes up the entire bed, no matter how big or small.  Kaidan kisses the hollow between his shoulder blades.

“I love you.”

He mumbles something into the pillows.  Kaidan smiles, lets his fingertips brush Shepard’s ear, and then leaves.

*

The council meeting is interminable.  They always are.  Kaidan surreptitiously checks his omni-tool every few minutes, and the councilors occasionally glare at him, but he smiles sweetly and has honed his half-listening skills enough to throw in a helpful comment here and there.

Liara has some interesting information about efforts in North America that she’s passed along, and Tali and Garrus have sent updates from Rannoch and Palaven, respectively.  Bakara sent blurry holos of tiny krogan babies wreaking havoc and, from the looks of it, wrestling with varren pups; he has to suppress a grin, knowing that Shepard will probably want to transfer one of the holos into a frame on their mantle.

 _Speaking of_ … he checks the time.  Shepard should be up and getting ready to leave the house for physical therapy by now.

He is about to send a quick ping when his message light flashes.  Shepard has beaten him to it.

*

Shepard wakes up slowly, despite the alarm blaring near his head.  He grumbles into the pillowcase and tries to burrow under the covers, but he can still hear the alarm, so it’s not terribly effective.

Resigned, he throws the covers off and fumbles for the alarm’s off switch.  He lies in bed for a moment, stretching slowly and remembering that morning, remembering Kaidan’s mouth on his cock and the salty earthy eezo-y taste of Kaidan’s come in his mouth, sliding down his throat.

One hand moves down to his dick, his other splaying across his chest, fingers teasing at his nipples as he brings himself hard again.  He looks down at his cock, lying hard against his stomach, beads of pre-come already forming at the tip, and smirks.

*

 _Thinking of you_ , the subject line reads, and Kaidan opens it to find a picture that… very clearly demonstrates exactly how Shepard is thinking of him at the moment.  He feels his cheeks heat up and his trousers get a little bit uncomfortable and he looks up and tries very, very hard to focus on what the asari councilor is saying about Thessian rural farming areas and supporting local recovery initiatives.

*

Shepard strokes himself, long and lazy, taking pleasure in his body and in having the luxury of mornings like this.  He bites his lip and remembers fucking on the Normandy, hot and urgent.  Walking back from Apollo’s that first day, holding themselves back on elevator rides until the doors opened on Shepard’s cabin and Kaidan grabbed his hips and slammed him against the wall next to the door and kissed him, leaving Shepard no room for air or thought, only the feeling of Kaidan’s cock hard through his trousers grinding against his own.

He remembers the fear and need that drove them, and it was good, then – great, even, mindblowing, finding everything in the galaxy in one another, a full life lived in the span of a breath, the feeling of fingers on sensitive skin, the trust of being filled, giving yourself over and giving up control – but now what they have is even better.

He imagines Kaidan’s body over his, Kaidan sinking down onto his cock, and he knows the feeling so intimately that it’s almost like he’s here.  Shepard rocks his hips up, thrusting his cock into his own hand and pinching harder at his nipples, sliding his hand down to cup himself and with one hand on his prick and one hand rolling his balls he comes hard, crying out into the stillness of the apartment, come roping across his belly.

*

The message light flashes again on Kaidan’s omnitool, and there’s another picture.

Evidently, Shepard has… finished thinking about him.

He swallows heavily at the image, white come against pale freckled skin, Shepard’s cock softening and one of his rough callused hands visible, resting in the crease of his hip.  Hastily, Kaidan excuses himself to the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face and sending Shepard a quick message promising payback when he gets home.

He gets one more cheery message from Shepard, all innocence and sweetness, reporting that Vega has arrived to take him to PT and he’ll see Kaidan tonight for dinner.

 _More than dinner_ , he types back, and then dries off his face and heads back into the void of the council room.

Three hours later, little to no progress has been made, several krogan ambassadors have been given audiences, threats of headbutting have resulted in C-Sec armed guards escorting said ambassadors from the chambers, and Kaidan has a horrific migraine coming on.

He waits as long as he possibly can and then excuses himself from the meeting.  On his way out, he fires off a quick message to Miranda, telling her not to bother picking up Shepard, and then takes a few deep breaths and a pill and swings into his skycar, already feeling the ache at the back of his skull begin to subside.

The Citadel has scheduled rainstorms this afternoon and the artificial skies are already darkening.  He tugs his dress blues cap low over his eyes as he gets out of the car at the hospital, and when he reaches Shepard’s door, he leans back against the wall and crosses his arms to wait.

Timing is on his side today.  Not five minutes later, the door whooshes open and Shepard limps out, resting heavily on his cane.  Kaidan smoothly ducks under his arm and pulls him close, an arm around his waist and a brush of his lips against Shepard’s cheek.

Shepard startles but recovers quickly; he knows the smell of Kaidan, the feel of his body and the shift of muscles next to his own, through clothes or not.

“That meeting ended faster than I thought it would.”

Kaidan laughs, still unable to stop his eyes from scanning Shepard head to toe, reassuring himself that the man is real, solid,  _here_.  “It’s still going, actually.”

“Playing hooky?”  Shepard’s face splits into a delighted grin.  “Naughty, Spectre Alenko, very naughty.”

“Anything for you.”  He pulls off his cap and settles it on Shepard’s head, hair still buzzed from surgeries and personal preference.  If anyone recognizes them now, he doesn’t care, not with the looks Shepard is giving him and the warmth of him up against Kaidan’s side.  “Let’s get out of here.  Rainstorm’s supposed to start in…”  He glances at a nearby display.  “…a little over ten minutes.”

They make it out to the car and Kaidan plays the gentleman, opening the door for Shepard and holding his arm – supportive, not coddling – as he slides into his seat.  He gets into the driver’s side just in time, the first fat heavy raindrops landing on the hood as they pull out of the lot and head for home.

*

“PT go okay?”

Kaidan locks the door behind them.  Shepard makes his way across the room, props his cane against the couch, and lies down, kicking his shoes off and grumbling in response.

It’s not silence, which means it wasn’t terrible, but it’s also not actual words, which means he didn’t live up to his own expectations.

It’s a very rare day that Kaidan gets actual words after PT.

That’s okay, though: at this point, they hardly need words to communicate, and Kaidan almost likes it more when Shepard doesn’t have it in him to be patient with himself, when he can’t find the words to say what he needs or to mean what he thinks.  Instead he gestures and mutters, his fingers illustrating inarticulacy in the air, and Kaidan knows how to read meaning into it.

He moves into the kitchen and pours two tumblers, one with his whiskey and one with Shepard’s rum.  A twist of lime in Shepard’s and a splash of water in his, and he brings them both over to the couch.

“You’re doing better,” he says.  Shepard doesn’t answer, just takes a sip of rum and sighs.  Kaidan pulls his feet into his lap and massages them one at a time, thumbs rubbing gently into the sole, moving down to his heel and up to the ball of his foot.  He groans and his toes flex.  Kaidan gives each toe special treatment, then kisses the foot, sets it down and starts in on the other.

In a few minutes of going back and forth between Shepard’s feet, he manages to reduce the man to quiet purring, back arching gently like a giant cat.  If only the rest of the galaxy could see their savior like this.  Blissed out, sipping his rum, and smiling at Kaidan through eyes heavy-lidded with fatigue and lazy simple pleasure.

This is what it should have been like from the start, Kaidan thinks, and knows in the same moment that if it had, things never would have worked out the way they did.  But they deserve this, and Shepard – god, Shepard deserves it most of all.

He watches as Shepard tosses back the rest of his rum and sets the glass on their coffee table, snuggling down into the cushions for a nap.  The datapad with the report Kaidan has been working on is across the room, and he  _pulls_  it to himself with biotics, not wanting to disturb his husband.

The gentle movements of Shepard’s feet in his lap as he shifts in his sleep are oddly soothing.  He works on his report, sips his whiskey, and the rain patters against their windows, lightning flashing outside almost as good as the real thing.

*

Kaidan’s stomach growls, and he decides unilaterally to order out from their usual sushi place.

Then he decides to wake Shepard up from his nap the same way he did that morning, and to exact his revenge for sending those pictures during the council meeting.

He gently shifts on the couch, crawling slow up Shepard’s body and dropping kisses on his arms, chest, neck as he goes.  Shepard murmurs and wakes, smiling slow and knowing up at Kaidan when his eyes open, hips already rolling up because this is a dance they’ve done a thousand times.  They pull each other’s shirts off and Shepard unzips Kaidan’s pants and pushes them down over his hips.  Kaidan’s mouth trails down Shepard’s throat to his bare chest, leaving wet hot kisses along the way as his fingers work at Shepard’s belt and finally get his trousers open too, tugging them down just far enough to release his cock.

Shepard pulls Kaidan’s hips down again and they both groan, smiling into each other’s mouths as they kiss and tongue and bite at lips.  Shepard’s hand grips them both, adding more friction as they thrust together, his thumb rubbing at their tips and spreading pre-come over their heads.

It’s slow and gentle and a long time coming, so long, like they’ve been waiting to do this their entire lives.  Kaidan comes first, choking on a moan and burying his face in Shepard’s neck, and Shepard’s hips arch off the couch, slickness from Kaidan’s come making him slippery and wet and  _fuck_ , one, two more strokes and he loses himself, shivering under the heat of Kaidan’s body and the dark sated lust in Kaidan’s eyes.

The doorbell buzzes as they’re lying tangled together on the couch.  Kaidan moves first, hauling himself off Shepard, grabbing a tissue to clean himself off, and then pulling his boxers and pants back up and running a hand through his messy hair.  He cracks the door open, smiles charmingly at the flustered quarian delivery girl and tips her generously after accepting the bags with their food.

It’s so domestic, eating sushi here in their apartment with Shepard, holding pieces out to each other with chopsticks (Kaidan insists that Shepard use them, and he’s managing well with his rubber-banded chopsticks so far.  Kaidan might upgrade him soon) and leaning forward to lick errant drops of soy sauce from each other’s chins, getting distracted occasionally and falling into umami kisses that could last for days.

*

They finish late, the thunderstorms trailing off into gentle misting against their windows.  It casts the Silversun Strip into neon spray, the harsh lights softening and blending until they’re more of a feeling than a reality.

Shepard’s fingers are trailing through Kaidan’s hair, their breathing synchronized in the rising and falling of their chests.

Kaidan hums contentedly, nosing into the hollow underneath Shepard’s jaw.

“Bed?”  Kaidan’s voice sounds sleepy, and Shepard smiles.

“Bed.”

“Same time tomorrow?”

He hugs Kaidan tighter.  “Wouldn’t miss it.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> assassin's creed AU requested by [wintarmanoth](wintarmanoth.tumblr.com)

kaidan’s working on a new project — scratching out, redesigning, needing to get the angles  _just_  right — when there’s a soft thunk in his courtyard. he smiles, not even needing to look up. at the approach of footsteps, he speaks.

"for an assassin, you’re not terribly stealthy."

shepard rests his head on kaidan’s shoulder. “that was pretty impressive though, wasn’t it? dove all the way from the top of the bell tower."

 

"i’ve been meaning to ask you about that. by all accounts, that just shouldn’t work. i mean, you should be dead, jumping into a hay bale from that height. how do you do it?"

he’s still scribbling furiously, still making notes even as shepard’s hands snake around his waist, lips brushing his ear.

"call it a leap of faith."

kaidan shivers and shepard’s hand covers his, gently stops his writing.

"i have to leave soon. i don’t know how long i’ll be gone."

"to where?"

"back to monteriggioni. uncle wants me to do some more training."

shepard spins kaidan in his arms, pushing him back against his worktable.

"i’m worried about you."

kaidan shakes his head, and before shepard can react a small dagger is pointed under his chin. “i can take care of myself."

"right now i want you to take care of me."

he kisses kaidan, hard, and pulls one of his legs up, sliding his hand up the man’s thigh.

"no — no!" kaidan pushes him back, and shepard stumbles away, confused and hurt. kaidan laughs quietly. “don’t be silly. i want to, just not  _here_ , shepard, not on my table."

"oh."

kaidan backs him up against the wall quickly. “this will work instead, though."

shepard’s assassin robes are unnavigable by anyone else, heavy cloth and folds and straps, but kaidan has done this enough times that his hands know where to go. by the time he has shepard’s cock in his hand the man is hard and panting, his head thrown back against the wall with the tease of simply being undressed.

kaidan sinks to his knees, takes shepard into his mouth and moans at the dark salty musk of him, his thick heavy flesh filling kaidan’s mouth, at once the same and different from when shepard fucks him. here, he has more control. here, he can calculate, can experiment — different pressures and speeds, the sounds shepard makes when he slides his tongue along his slit and when he takes him deep, swallowing around him, hands coming up to gently roll his balls as his cheeks hollow with suction.

shepard fists a hand in kaidan’s hair, small choked whimpers tearing from his throat as his hips try and fail to stay controlled.  _need_  overrides science and kaidan moans again, sucking shepard’s cock with his whole body, dropping one hand to rub at himself and sliding his other back, behind shepard’s balls, circling his entrance and listening to the gasps get higher until the tip of his finger slides in and shepard cries out and convulses in the height of pleasure.

kaidan swallows his release, holding himself in check, and kisses the tip of his cock. he stands and gently tucks shepard back in. the assassin watches in a daze, right up until kaidan guides his hand to the bulge in his own trousers.

"i took care of you, just like i promised. your turn,  _amore_."

and just like that, shepard’s back. he grins wickedly and flips them, and it’s kaidan’s turn to be the test subject.

(he  _really_  doesn’t mind.)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> vampire AU requested by [thereddragoon](thereddragoon.tumblr.com)

the moon is perfectly round, clouds skating through the sky, veiling stars but never for long. shepard can pick out some constellations. it would be romantic, if he had anyone to share it with.

as it is he’s got only himself now, everyone else gone and dusted. he crouches on top of a mausoleum, towering trees at his back, graveyard spread beneath him like a map. his stake hand is itching for action, twirling the weapon between his fingers. any newborn will do, but there’s one vamp he’s been hunting, one in particular he wants to dance with just one final time…

he hears the tree branches creak against each other and realizes their pattern is the tiniest bit different, just  _too_  rhythmic to be the wind and he turns half a second too late to shield himself from the blow.

 

he’s thrown off the mausoleum by a heavy dark fast-moving weight, and he hits the ground and they roll, kicking and punching out of instinct and shepard knows it’s him before he ever sees his face. the vamp is magnificent, and yes, shepard knows it’s twisted that he thinks of him that way, but all golden-eyed and snarling kaidan is wild and feral and shepard can never get enough.

it’s a shame he’ll be dusted soon.

they roll to a stop with shepard straddling kaidan’s hips, one of the vamp’s hands clenched around shepard’s right wrist, keeping the stake at bay.

shepard can feel kaidan hard through his jeans. he grins and kaidan’s golden eyes get hungry for something other than blood. his mouth twists in an unnatural smile.

this just makes it more fun.

shepard grinds into him and his hips buck up and throw the human off. they wrestle and at some point shepard drops his stake, rolling off through the gravestones — no matter, he has more. for now they’re just struggling and straining against each other, hips finding a rhythm together and panting getting harsher until kaidan gets the upper hand and pins shepard.

his eyes are closed and his head bowed as they rut against each other. shepard is so hard, his cock rubbing against kaidan’s and the extra levels of fabric adding to the sensations, adding to the forbiddenness of this whole sick affair.

when kaidan opens his eyes, his face is human again and shepard moans. his eyes are the same big-cat gold, the only part of him that doesn’t change when he vamps out; his brow is smooth, teeth white and straight and shepard wants to kiss him. but that would be too close to the truth, too intimate for what they have to pretend they have.

kaidan’s face is close, his breath hot and he brushes his nose against shepard’s and even that is almost too much. his stomach growls, and their eyes meet slowly, recognition and understanding breaking through the hazy need.

shepard knows the risks. he also knows he has nobody. he doesn’t care.

he nods.

kaidan holds eye contact with him, and his face morphs, eyes remaining heartbreakingly human in the face of a monster.

he keeps his hold on shepard’s wrists with one hand and slides the other down to shepard’s crotch, fingers rubbing his length as his mouth comes closer to shepard’s neck.

his tongue licks a hot wet patch of skin over shepard’s pulse and shepard instinctively turns his head, giving kaidan access to his neck — and how sick is that instinct, baring his throat to a killer — but it feels so good when his lips close over the skin, and he shudders when sharp teeth brush against him, his hips pushing into kaidan’s palm as he gets jerked off through his jeans.

kaidan’s teeth slice into his neck and he shatters, crying out and coming hard, his body a taut bow under kaidan’s. he feels kaidan drinking from him and he hears needy moaning, the vamp’s hips still rocking against his thigh until his vision blacks out.

he wakes up back on top of the mausoleum, back where he started. his pulse is pounding in his ears.

still alive, then.

he turns his head and sees a dark figure, black hair, golden eyes glinting in the moonlight. kaidan swings down over the edge of the building and disappears.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> law firm AU requested by [jakefabulouschristmas](jakefabulouschristmas.tumblr.com)

"another late night?" kaidan’s secretary pokes her head in, coat already on, purse in hand.

"another late night," he confirms, and waves goodbye, hearing the door click as she leaves.

"shepard," he calls, and gets an answering “yeah?" from across the hall. “ready to start working on those briefs?"

shepard laughs and he blushes, thankful that the other man is in a different room. and then he blushes harder when shepard appears in his doorway, smirking.

"didn’t know you were a briefs kinda guy, kaidan."

 

"i — uh. let’s move to the boardroom, yeah? more space to spread out."

"hm," shepard says, and oh god, what did kaidan say now, “briefs,  _and_  you like spreading…"

"we should probably call for takeout," kaidan says very loudly, trying not to let himself imagine  _spreading_  in the context of shepard. they’ve been doing this for months, ever since the merger of their law firms, kaidan putting his foot in his mouth and shepard flirting shamelessly, kaidan aching with want — yes, all right, maybe there was some pining — and shepard just being  _shepard_. he flirts with everyone, kaidan knows, but it doesn’t stop him from wishing. _  
_

he carries his files into the boardroom, all cherry wood and leather. “do you have a food preference?"

shepard sets his things next to kaidan’s. “i could really go for some italian. just make sure they bring breadsticks."

*

an hour later, kaidan’s almost forgotten they even ordered food, slogging through their files. shepard took off his suit jacket a while ago, and now his crisp white sleeves are rolled up, tie loosened and top button of his shirt undone. kaidan is still wearing his jacket. of course.

his phone rings and it’s their food. shepard grins like a kid when kaidan hands him the breadsticks and dipping sauce.

"just what i needed," he says, and wraps his lips around a breadstick glistening with marinara sauce, humming in pleasure.

kaidan swallows roughly.

when shepard has finished the breadstick, he has a bit of sauce at the corner of his mouth. kaidan gestures.

"you, uh. you have… stuff…"

shepard’s blue eyes look darker as he watches kaidan struggle for a moment.

"get it for me, kaidan?"

and just like it’s an order, like he doesn’t have to think about it, like this is the most natural thing in the world, kaidan reaches over, rests his fingers against shepard’s jawline and brushes away the sauce with his thumb.

shepard catches his hand as he pulls it back, and holds kaidan’s gaze — he couldn’t look away if he wanted to, and god help him, he  _doesn’t_  want to — and pulls the hand to his mouth. his tongue presses against the pad of kaidan’s thumb, licking it clean, and it’s so hot, so wet, and then he takes kaidan’s index finger into his mouth and  _sucks_ , and kaidan is spinning out of control. he has no idea what’s happening, or how, or why, but he puts his middle and ring fingers against shepard’s lips and they are welcomed into his mouth and he sucks on them too, tongue sliding over and between his fingers, head bobbing slowly back and forth and kaidan moans at the sight.

shepard lets go of kaidan’s fingers grabs kaidan’s tie and pulls him forward out of his chair. he lands with one knee on the seat next to shepard’s hip, hands on the back of the chair on either side of his head. shepard’s hand cups his cheek.

"do you want this?"

kaidan has a moment of clarity. yes, this is happening. yes, he wants it. he lowers his hips and rocks into shepard’s lap, gasping as shepard’s smirk grows.

"i think you’re wearing too much," shepard says, and pushes his jacket over his shoulders, and then kaidan leans down and kisses him.

he tastes like garlic and oregano and marinara and kaidan needs more, barely registering shepard’s fingers unbuttoning his shirt and pulling loose his tie until his mouth tracks down kaidan’s neck and he licks his collarbone and sucks on his pulse point.

then he’s shoved off and stumbles back and shepard stands, pushes him onto the table and has his belt undone, pants open and pulled down to his knees.

"not much for foreplay, shepard?"

shepard’s eyes are hungry and wild. “not when i’ve wanted this for so fucking long."

then he lowers his mouth to kaidan’s cock and tears a cry from kaidan’s throat, tongue teasing at his slit and then lower, mapping out the ridges and veins and places that make kaidan arch. when he opens his eyes and looks down shepard is pulling his tie off and looking up at him, bright eyes wicked as he wraps the tie around kaidan’s base and pulls it  _tight_.

kaidan screams.

shepard wraps another loop around his balls and ties it off and deepthroats kaidan, pulling back and pumping his cock and never taking his eyes from his face until kaidan can’t look anymore, squeezes his eyes shut and shatters under shepard’s mouth and hands and tongue and goddamn silk tie.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> total crack!fic - TIM is kaidan's father, requested by [theprosefool](theprosefool.tumblr.com)

"so, when am i gonna get to meet your parents?" shepard stretched out on the couch next to his fiancé.

kaidan snorted, but didn’t say anything.

"…what? did i say something?"

at that, he looked up at shepard, confusion written plain in his eyes.

"you mean you don’t know?"

shepard sat up. “don’t know what, kaidan?"

"you’ve met my dad already."

"i… what? when? why didn’t you say anything?"

"we’re not exactly… on speaking terms."

shepard shook his head. “i don’t understand. when did i meet him, then?"

"shepard, you  _worked_  for him. you’re kidding, he really didn’t tell you? i thought for sure he’d hold that… over… are you okay?"

shepard’s eyes had gone wide, face drained of blood, hands shaking.

"i think i’m going to be sick."

“ _what?_  why?"

shepard couldn’t meet his eyes, and his voice was barely a whisper. “he didn’t need to hold that over me. he had… we were… i…"

kaidan stared at him for a long, hard moment.

"you’re joking."

all he could do was shake his head no.

"you fucked. my dad."

"well… technically, he fucked me…"

kaidan barely made it to the bathroom in time.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dragon age AU requested by [wintarmanoth](wintarmanoth.tumblr.com)

"why did you recruit me?"

it was late, firelight casting crackling shadows along shepard’s cheekbones.

"you have potential."

"potential? is potential the best you can do? i’m a blighted murderer."

the scruffy warden looked over at him sharply.

"kaidan, you stood up for yourself. and for someone else, someone who needed you to stand up for her. that instructor was out of line."

"that’s not what the first enchanter said."

shepard snorted and turned back to the fire, crossing his arms on his knees, looking startlingly young. kaidan felt something tight grip his chest and something hot curl in his belly.

"that’s why you’re here. you have potential, and he didn’t see it."

kaidan watched him. the fire lit up his face and hands, set his blue eyes ablaze like the cold spells kaidan had been trying to master.

"how old are you?"

shepard blinked and abruptly his eyes were back to normal, his mind pulled back from wherever he’d gone.

"i’m twenty."

"only - !"

"why? how old are you?"

"twenty-three."

shepard smirked, scraping his nails across his nearly-shaved head. “that’s the difference in living out here. you’ll… well, it’ll catch up to you."

kaidan moved, suddenly, shifting from his side of the fire over to shepard’s.

"do you like it?"

one shoulder rose and fell, heartbreak and pride, stories and silence in the movement.

"are you - " kaidan’s voice snagged in his throat, but he kept going. “do you get lonely?"

then shepard looked at him directly, eyes searching his for answers to his own question.

"yes."

"i did too. in the circle."

the hot curling feeling was stronger, pulsing through his groin, making his heartbeat staccato and uneven. shepard lifted his hand, fingertips brushing along kaidan’s jaw.

"you look so young…"

"i’m not," kaidan said, words rasping through his suddenly-dry throat, and then shepard was closer, so much closer in less than the blink of an eye.

"i know," he whispered. the words brushed kaidan’s parted lips, and his eyes slid closed, and shepard kissed him in the firelight.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sex pollen. i don't even know.

"what the — "

_armor clatters to the ground_

"oh my god, everything is so — "

_fingers, hands, can’t stop touching, skin flushed and pink and soft, so soft_

"i  _know_ , oh god, i can’t stop — “ 

_lips hot and wet, tongue seeking the sweat along the solid lines of his chest_

"no — i mean, yes — i mean, oh, fuck,  _don’t_  stop — “

_head of his length hard and ready and wanting_

"yes,  _yes_ , you’re so — “

_sliding together, a hand, doesn’t matter whose, hard grip and slick friction_

"perfect — fuck, so perfect — "

_pressure at the base of their spines, twin gasps and moans and hips rocking up to push themselves close, closer, closest_

"want —  _nngh_ , need you, shepard — “

_mouths crush together, hard exhales, soft groans, crying out and biting down and body shuddering_

“ _kaidan — !_ ”

*

ten minutes later, heartbeats back to normal and vision unblurred, shepard pulls himself off kaidan. readjusts his undersuit. slowly, limbs still heavy and light all at once, starts putting his armor back on.

"the hell was that?"

he looks over at kaidan, sex-mussed and eyes blown. “sex pollen?”

kaidan’s laugh is raspy and beautiful. “shit’s better than red sand. probably safer, too. …think we can take some back with us?”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kiss meme from tumblr, prompted by [theprosefool](theprosefool.tumblr.com)

they have a routine. they have to: at this point, it’s the little things that keep them from falling apart, the little things that they know they can rely on to give themselves the illusion of normalcy.

if shepard doesn’t bring kaidan on a mission, one of their routines is that shepard will seek him out as soon as his armor’s stowed, give him a quick peck on the lips, a promise for later.

so shepard comes back from omega. sees kaidan right away, chatting with steve, and quickly strips off and puts away his armor. and when he turns, kaidan is right there, so close shepard takes half a step back in surprise.

"kaidan! hey." he leans forward and brushes his lips to kaidan’s.

and then kaidan’s hand is on the back of his neck, holding him in place. shepard’s mouth opens on a small surprised noise and kaidan’s tongue slides past his lips, teasing and exploring and tasting his mouth, and kaidan’s body is flush against his and he feels himself responding helplessly, pushing himself closer, his own tongue invading kaidan’s mouth in turn, trying to tell him  _i love you_  and  _i want you_  and  _i need to fuck you right goddamn now_.

when they break apart, it’s in slow motion. kaidan’s eyes are dark and desperate, and shepard propels him into the elevator. their mouths are on each other, sharing breath with every breathless kiss, before the door slides shut.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kiss meme on tumblr, prompted by moribeckett.

nobody knows about the kiss before mars.

shepard goes up to his quarters. retreats, really, knows they have an hour or two and needs time alone to process what’s just happened. to make himself understand that he’s just left his race’s planet to burn.

he’s resting his forehead against the empty fishtank when kaidan comes in.

"shepard, i’m… sorry."

"for what." it’s not accusatory, just monotone.

"not coming to see you." kaidan’s standing right next to him. he smells the same. shepard flexes his fingers rhythmically and pushes off the fishtank.

"we have other things to worry about."

kaidan blocks his way. “i know. that’s why i wanted to tell you now, before — well, the shit’s already hit the fan. but before we get ourselves in too deep that we forget what’s…”

he seems to realize how much he’s blurting, how much he’s revealing. shepard’s eyes search his, but before he can find anything, kaidan moves.

he shoves shepard back to the fishtank, hands fisted in his shirt, and his clear honey eyes are so achingly familiar, but with more pain that shepard wishes wasn’t there.

then kaidan kisses him. hard. not forgiving him, but… reminding them both. he bites shepard’s lips, crushes their mouths together and grinds his hips forward, pushing shepard harder into the tank at his back. shepard barely has time to get his hands on kaidan’s shoulders, in his hair, at the back of his neck before the kiss is over and kaidan’s backing away looking stunned and uncertain.

"it’s really you, ian?"

"it’s really me."

kaidan stares at him for a moment more, and then flees back to the cargo bay, to build his armor up around himself one more time.


End file.
